Tedious process slows PRDP projects in Central Visayas

CEBU, Philippines - Since the World Bank-funded Philippine Rural Development Project started in late 2014, only one project has so far been implemented in Central Visayas until now.

Gerry Avila, agribusiness chief at the Department of Agriculture in Region 7, noted that some other projects proposed to be funded by PRDP are yet on the bidding, procurement and finalization stages.

The rehabilitation of the farm-to-market road in Sagbayan, Bohol is so far the first PRDP-implemented infrastructure project in the region.

The P48.2-million road project started last September and was targeted to support about 2,000 farmers in the town.

Avila cited some factors that have taken too long for these projects to take off for actual implementation.

"For infrastructure, compliance of documents and failure of bidding [are the reasons]," Avila told The FREEMAN yesterday.

For enterprise development projects, problems include the slow compliance of documents by project proponents and finalization of the so-called implementation management agreement (IMA).

IMA signals the implementation arrangements and specific guidelines for the project's fund releases and liquidations.

In Region 7, about P429 million worth of infrastructure projects for Cebu and Bohol had already been endorsed to PRDP's National Project Coordination Office.

PRDP is a six-year P27.5-billion project led by the DA, covering the country's 80 provinces in 16 regions. (FREEMAN)